A little less than five years ago, the legendary Formula 1 racer, Michael Schumacher, who had completed his career by that time, was seriously injured. December 29, 2013 a German, while skiing, rode off the track, stumbled on a stone and hit his head on a rock. The racer survived, but was bedridden.

As it became known, two months before the tragedy, Schumacher gave an interview, which later lay on the shelf for more than five years. Only in November 2018, it appeared on the official site of the German pilot.

It is not known why the interview was published right now. From the Schumacher family no information was received on this matter.

About rivals and idols

In an interview, the seven-time world champion Formula 1 answered the question which of the titles became the most emotional for him.

“Definitely, the year 2000 with Ferrari.” 21 years for a “championship” without a championship, four years for me. Finally, in Suzuka 2000 I had a great race, and we won the title, ”said the driver.

According to Schumacher, of his opponents, he respected Mika Hakkinen the most. In 1998 and 1999, the Finn twice defeated Michael in a dispute over the championship, and a year later became the second. At the same time, the German admitted that warm relations were always maintained between rivals outside the track.

He noted that among his main idols were such legendary racers as the Brazilian Ayrton Senna and the Italian Vincenzo Sospiri.

"But the real idol for me was Tony Schumacher, because he was a great football player," said Schumacher.

The German pilot admitted that the performances in the "Formula 1" require riders of excellent physical shape, and at a time when there were no brake and steering booster gains on the race cars, it was even more difficult.

“In any case, this is one of the most energy-intensive sports, you need to prepare a lot for it,” said Michael.

However, physical condition is only one of the components of success in racing. Legendary athlete believes that the triumph in the "Formula 1" depends on many factors, one of which is the help of teammates.

“Success in any life situation is teamwork. Alone, you do what you personally are capable of. But you are stronger in the team. "Formula 1" - not the show of one person ", - said Michael.

In his opinion, it is impossible to build a career in any sport with one talent. He noted that the athlete needs to develop a number of other skills and abilities.

“For progress, the search for new ways to improve, you need to look not only at the car, at yourself, but also at your rivals. Not only on the leaders - everyone has some peculiarities. I followed everyone, ”admitted the Red Baron.

Schumacher spent the brightest career in the "Formula 1" and in addition to the seven champion titles set a number of records that are still unsurpassed. Thus, during his career, the German won 91 stages of the Grand Prix, and 13 of them - in one season, and also ranked first in the number of fast laps (77).

“Records are one thing. Did I doubt my abilities? It was very important not to become overly confident. You must be skeptical, look for opportunities for improvement, a step forward. I felt that I was not good enough to continue working on myself. Perhaps this was one of the reasons that I became who I am, ”said Schumacher.

During his career in Formula 1, the German became the champion twice, speaking for Benetton, and five times as a Ferrari driver. Only in the "Mercedes", in which Schumacher had three final seasons in his career, he could not win the title. He was twice in the top ten, and in 2012 he became the 13th.

“I had similar tasks (in all three“ stables. ”- RT ). First, we built a team in Benetton for 4-5 years, then the same process took place in Ferrari. In Mercedes, we tried to do the same for a shorter period. They all had one common detail - Ross Brown (English engineer and designer. - RT ). Think about it, ”Schumacher concluded.

Life after the tragedy

Recently, the state of the famous rider receives less news. Schumacher family decided to isolate not only from the press. So, in April, Rubens Barrichello said that he wanted to visit his former partner in "Ferrari", but was refused.

“I tried to find a way to visit him. But I was told that it would not benefit any of us. At the same time, I believe that information about him should somehow be submitted, ”the Brazilian quotes Globo.

At the same time, the former head of the “crowd” Jean Todt said that he visited the German several times a month. He did not talk about the state of the athlete.

“I visit Michael at least twice a month. His state of health is a private affair of his family. I see him, I see his family. I love him, and I would like the situation to be different, ”said Todt to The Times.

In August, there were rumors that a famous pilot could continue his recovery from an injury in Mallorca. It was reported that the Schumacher family acquired a house that previously belonged to the president of Real Madrid Florentino Perez, and will soon transport the athlete to Spain. This was confirmed by the mayor of the village to which Michael was supposed to move.

However, the information was subsequently refuted by manager Schumacher Sabina Kem. She said that the pilot’s family is not going to move from Switzerland to Spain, calling this information a rumor.

Some time later, another piece of information about the status of the pilot appeared in the media. The British publication The Mirror published the words of one of Schumacher's relatives, who said that sometimes Michael shows emotions.

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"When we put him in a wheelchair and show him a beautiful panorama with a view of the mountains and the lake, he sometimes cries," said a relative, whose name is not reported.

At the same time, one of the friends of the son of Schumacher Mick, who is currently successfully performing in Formula 3, expressed the opinion that new information may soon appear on Michael’s condition.

“Mick has a hard time in this situation. The family tries not to comment on the situation, but I think Michael will soon return. Definitely hard to say, "- quotes Nicklas Nielsen Wheels24.

The spouse of Schumacher Corinna also believes in the recovery of her husband. She stated this in a letter to the famous German singer Sasha Hirshenbach, who dedicated the song Born to Fight to Michael (born to fight. - RT ),

“I would like to sincerely thank you for your message and a nice gift that will help us survive this difficult time. It is nice to receive so many kind wishes and words - this is a big support for our family. We all know that Michael is a fighter, he will not surrender, ”said Corinna Schumacher.